Statement by H.E. Mr. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the UN, at the UNGA80 First Committee General Debate

Mr. Chair,

Congratulations to you and the members of the Bureau for taking on the leadership of the First Committee.

The global security architecture continues to be increasingly affected by strategic instability, the weakening of arms control mechanisms, rising military spending, and the militarization of emerging domains.

A robust and effective conventional arms control regime, alongside confidence and security building measures, is essential for maintaining peace at the international and regional levels.

Building on the significant breakthrough achieved on August 8 in Washington, D.C., signing of the declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan, we have gained renewed confidence that a new chapter of peace, stability, and regional cooperation is opening in the South Caucasus. We believe the current environment is highly conducive to advancing confidence-building measures between Armenia and Azerbaijan which will serve as an important mechanism for strengthening peace in our region.

Mr. Chair,

Disarmament and non-proliferation are among the top priorities of Armenia's foreign policy agenda. Armenia attaches great importance to the maintenance of the efficiency of the existing arms reductions and disarmament regimes. We stress the importance of the universality of CWC, BWC, 1925 Geneva protocol, NPT and the IAEA safeguard regime.

Armenia remains firmly committed to fulfilling its obligations under the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and reiterates its firm support for the full, complete, and effective implementation of the NPT.

We opted for a transparent and open policy for safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy and will continue to pursue this policy further, strengthening and undertaking necessary measures to enhance and maintain nuclear safety. Armenia appreciates the crucial role of the cooperation with IAEA through its Safeguards Agreements and Additional protocol, as well as its technical assistance program.

Over the past 30 years, our country has enjoyed growing partnership with the IAEA in all its pillars. The safe and secure operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is a strategic priority for the Government of Armenia. Thanks to the international cooperation, the Armenian nuclear power plant has been implementing a number of projects for the enhancement of nuclear security at the facility level in line with relevant recommendations of the IAEA.

Mr. Chair,

There are various steps that must be taken to further advance disarmament efforts, and among them is the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Armenia views it as one of the key elements of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and a strong tool for constraining nuclear weaponry. In light of the challenging global security environment, we extend our call upon all Annex 2 States that have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Treaty at the earliest opportunity. It is our firm belief that the credibility and effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime cannot be fully ensured without CTBT's entry into force.

As a strong supporter of non-proliferation, Armenia is committed to the full implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention. We continuously strengthen our national capacities in biological safety. At the multilateral level, we contribute to initiatives aimed at enhancing the Convention's mechanisms, including investigating the misuse of biological agents and addressing potential infectious disease outbreaks. Armenia unequivocally condemns the use of chemical weapons and emphasizes the OPCW's vital role in advancing the Chemical Weapons Convention.

As a subscribing state to the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC), Armenia values its role in curbing ballistic missile proliferation and promoting international peace and security, consistently submitting timely annual declarations to uphold the Code's principles of transparency and confidence-building.

Mr. Chair,

Armenia reiterates its strong dedication to global efforts in disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control.

Thank you.